My Finance Career Path: Seeking Advice

Hello Everyone! 

Thank you for taking the time to read this post, I'm having such a stressful time deciding which path to take. I started school later after highschool as a part time student, now 25 I am set to graduate this December 2023 with a Major in Business Administration concentration in Finance, from a state university in Silicon Valley. I have no Internships, a few past part time jobs (3 non related jobs, one sales job currently). Have a 3.3 Gpa, and am really unsure with this job market. I want to pursue a career in Finance like Banking, investment analysis, wealth/asset management, private equity, hedge funds, consulting, analyst, etc.. basically higher Finance Roles. I feel like I dont have the experience as for the lack of internships(None) related to the jobs I want to break into. I would love to get opinions and advice as to the options I plan to choose from.

1.) Pursuing a one year MBA Online - this is an option as it is cheaper and less time to complete than a traditional 2 year MBA. I plan on trying to find internships during this time, even if that means taking some time off during school as a lot of one year online MBA allow you to extend the program. Cons could be that not a lot of ranked MBAs offer this type of program.


2.) Pursuing a one year Masters of Science in Finance (MSF) - Also Online and I would be doing the same thing as mentioned above, trying to find an internship while in school. There are some well ranked schools who offer this program but researching more feel as if it doesn't hold up as well/respected as to getting an MBA. This option is cheaper than most One year online MBA. 

3.) Pursuing CFA - Post Grad while still trying to find a job I would be studying and intend to pass the CFA Level 1 exam. (Could I potentially still land an Internship post Grad if I say I'm pursuing CFA?) If so, I would apply to both Full time Jobs, and Internships and see what I can get first or what's more ideal.   
     
4.) Pursuing an Entry Level banking job and working my way up - Spend all my time pursuing any entry role to get some experience and work my way up the ladder to the jobs I want to land. Any advice on best roles to do this? With my experience being taken into consideration.

I fully acknowledge that my current situation is far from ideal due to my limited experience. However, I am determined to proactively address this shortfall and make the necessary adjustments to pivot towards my desired finance career. Any advice and guidance would be greatly appreciated.
 

1 Comments
 

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